Alarm-valve for automatic fire-extinguishing systems



E. E. BIRKLAND AND G. 0. LILJEGREN.

ALARM VALVE FOR AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, I920, 1,399,374. Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

III

I 1 I l i Q i I 331 d JI 1'- II 1 Or-ggg E. E. BIRKLAND'AND G. 0. LILJEGREN.

ALARM VALVE FOR AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24,1920. 1,399,374. Patented Dec. 6, 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERIC E. BIRKLAND AND GUNNAR O. LILJE-GREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID BIRK- LAND ASSIGNCR SAID LILJ'EGREN.

ALARM-VALVE FOR AUTOMAT C Application filed July 24,

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that we, Enro E. BrnnLaNn and GUNNAR O. LILJEGREN, citizensot the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook a d State of Illinois, have jointly invented certain new and useful Im provements in Alar r-Valves for Automatic FireExtinguishing Systems, or". which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a device for ing an alarm in sprinkler systems when the water is released by the action of heat, it being und rstood that it may be used either in the so called dry-pipe system by employing it in proximity to the ordinary dry-pipe valve, or in the so called wet-pipe system, and the main object or" the invention is to provide an improved device for governing or regulating the alarm so that predetermined time is required to elapse before the alarm operates irrespective of the variations of the water pressure until said period has elapsed. Another object is to provide an improved valve seat atlording a convenient by-pass to a suitable alarm.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the shell and valve;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and also shows a retarded alarm device;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the outer ring of the valve seat;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 11- 2. 5 is a similar view on the line 55 I 2, with parts in side elevation; 6 is an end view of the contact case, Fig. 7 is a top view of the same, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the concentric rings.

In the above drawings the reference numeral 10 indicates a shell forming the casing for our improved alarm valve having a suit-able hand-hole 11 and connected at its lower end by a pipe to a source of water supply under pressure and at its upper end by a pipe leading to the usual distributing pipes having series of automatic sprinkler-heads, all in the usual manner of this class of devices. The casing contains a clapper valve 12 which has a closure disk 13 of suitable material, preterably of non-corrodible composition, and is mounted on the free end 01" a bronze arm 14 which is keyed at its other end to an os- Specification of Letters Patent.

rrnn-nxrmeoisnme SYSTEMS.

Eatented Dec. 6, 1921.

Serial No. 338,697.

cillating hinge-pin 15 in the case. In the present embodiment the pin 15 is carried at one end in easy running engagement witha oronze bearing 16 mounted in the casing, and at its other end extends outwardly through the suitable bearing box 17 in the opposite wall of the casing. The valve-seat is of compound construction consisting of concentric inner and outer rings '18 and 19, respectively, mounted on the inwardly pr0 jecting flange 20; the ring 18 is shouldered at its inlet end as at 21 to bear against the underside of the flange 20 and is externally threaded at its outlet end as at 22 to engage the corresponding interior threads 28 of the outer ring 19. The flange 20 is provided with a groove 24: to receivethe ring 19 and make a water-tight joint, and the. ring projects beyond the flange and is held against.

rotation in its seat in the groove by a dowel pin 25. The inner threads 23 of the outer ring 19 are cut away or interrupted at intervals as shown in Fig. 3 to provide passageways .26 between the rings, and the flange 20 is provided on its inner face or wall with an annular channel 27 which communicates with the passages 26 by suitably cutting ba k its upper edge as at 28, and which has. a drain pipe 29 connected to any suitable alarm mechanism (not shown). The ring 19 is wider than its seat 24 sothat its inner threads overhang the edge 28, and in assembling the parts the ring 19 is first seated in position and the inner ring 18 1s then inserted from below and screwed into place by. engagement of the threads 22 and 23, with the result that the rings are assembled in position embracing the flange with their upper edges in alinenien beyond the flange to allow the valve to rest upon the valve-seat provided by them without coming in contact with the flange.

The shell is provided with a circular ex- I tension '30 surroundingthe outwardly projecting end o1 the hinge-pin 15 and having a cover 81, to form a housing for the cooperating parts of acircuit closer controlled by the valve. In the form shown we employ a mercury contact in which the control case 32 is an oscillating metallic block of substantially rectangular form loosely mounted on the projecting end of the hinge pin 15. The block is provided with a depending lug 3 3 which is in the path of a leaf spring 34carried by the cover 31 and puts the spring under tension when the case is in its normal. position of rest, the lug being extended laterally to make a wide contact with the spring as shown in Fig.6. The opposite side of the lateral extension or the lug 33 contacts with a resetting setscrew 35 which is adjustably fixed by a setnut 36 in the lower end oi a rock-arm 37 having a hub 38 provided with a squared opening fitting on the correspondingly shaped outer end of the hinge-pin 15 upon which it is held by a nut 39, the parts being SO related that when the valve 12 is seated the screw 35 holds the case 32against movement bythe stress of the spring 34, and when the valve is unseated the screw is withdrawn from contact with the lug and the spring then 'moves the lug and tiltsthe case 32' upon the hinge-pin as a pivot. Thearm 37 resets the case and puts the spring under tension when the valve is seated, and the movement of the lug 33 under the force of the spring is limited by a stop-pin 40 which is carried by the casing and forms an abut 44 into which the terminals 45 and 46 of an electrical circuit respectively project, with a by-pass 47 to prevent the creation of a vacuum at one end of the mercury column in the leg 44 and the compression of air at its other end in the leg 43 when the mercury moves more or less into the latter leg by the tilting action of the block, it being obvious that the legs and by-pass form in efie'ct a circular chamber in the block so that the mercury may move freely therein.

employed the terminal 46 is longer than the te1'm1nal45 and projects into the mercury column when the parts are in their normal or inoperative position shown in Fig. 5,

while the shorter terminal 45 is not then so immersed, and when the block is tilted in the direction of the arrow on the pin by the spring 34 upon the'withdrawal of the screw v35 bythe movement oi? the hingepin when i the valve 12 is unseated the mercury rises in the leg 43 to bridge the two terminalsand close the circuit, but if thecircuit is a nor mally closedcircuit the erminals are of equal length and both are immersed in the mercury when the case is in its normal posi-- tion, and the tilting of the casecauses the mercury to uncover the terminal which is swung upwardly by'thetilting of the case i It a normally opencircuit for the alarm is to break the circuit. The terminals 45 and 46 are held in insulating sleeves 48 which fit tightly within the outer ends of the legs 43 and 44, and the wires 49 forming the sides of the circuit are provided with waterproof insulation. ln either case the circuit in cludes a suitable source of electrical energy, such as the battery shown, a retarded relay 50 giving a definite time delay, and an alarm device 51 operated by the closing of thecon tacts of the relay in the usual manner. suitable time delay relay may be; employet'i, such as are now upon the market and susceptible of adjustment to retard the action of its contacts depending upon the interval of time that is to elapse between the operation of the mercury column and the soundin of-the alarm. f

When the valve 12 is seated there is no access of water through the passages 26 and I action of water-hammer, it will at once reseat itself and close the passage of water through its seat, while the small amount of water that has passed through will not enter the sprinkler system but will flow through the passages 26 and 28 to the pipe 29; This slight movement of the hinge-pin may or may not be suflicient to withdraw the screw 35 from the lug 33 far enough to allow the spring 34 totilt' the case 32 suiiiciently to cause the mercury to close the circuit through the terminal 45, but even if the relay circuit is closed momentarily the retarded relay will prevent the operation of the general alarm, the relay being set to effect a retardation of the alarm for a sufiicient length of time, say two minutes, to permit the passage or" water due to such chattering or temporaryoscillation of the valve without afie'cting this alarm, and when. this action ceases the closing off the valve causes the rock-arm 37 to restore the case to its. normal position to deenergize the relay, there being no false the alarm given. other hand, if the valve 12 does not immediately return to its seat, but swings open to-allow such continuous flow 01' water as occurs upon the disruption of one or more of the sprinkler heads under the heat of a fire, the withdrawal of the screw 35'from the lug 33 of the case 32 enables the spring 34 to tilt thecase and hold it tilted 'for a suiiicient length of time to pass current On the V through the relay circuit long enough tothe case is oscillated, means controlled by overcome the retarding effect of the relay and operate the general alarm.

By this arrangement of parts the case is held in its normal position and tie sprin is put under tension by the seated valve, and it is moved to operative position by the resiliency oi the spring whe the valve is unseated: the valve does not move the c e from its normal position, but merely strains it in that position against the force or the spring which in turn moves it to operative position when the valve is unseated, and consequently the movement or" the valve from its seat is not resisted by the weight or inertia of the case and its sensitiveness is not reduced, but on the contrary the valve is "endered even more sensitive to the unsea ing pressure in its pipe by the tendency of he spring acting through the lug and arm on the hinge-pin to move the valve in its unseating direction. For example, if a small constant leak occurs in the system the tendency or" the valve to open is not resisted by the case and is aided by the spring, the valve is more sensitive to the unseating pressure and the slight opening of the valve produced by such a leak will be unimpeded and sustained, with the result that the circuit will be kept closed and a general alarm effected. By using the set-screw any inaccuracies or variations between the lug and arm may be compensated, so that the case always may be accurately set in normal position and only a slight movement will be necessary to produce the necessary circuit conditions.

The device may be used in any wet-pipe system by connecting the case with the water supply pipe on its inlet side and with the water cistributing pipes on its outlet side. Also, it may be used in any dry-pipe system by employing it in proximity to the usual dry-pipe valve, on either side thereof, so that the dry-pipe valve may be left open to allow the water to stand in the associated distributing pipes or headers as is usual in drppipe systems in summer weather or mild climates with the usual dry-pipe alarm then disconnected or rendered inoperative to prevent its giving a continuous alarm, as the device of our invention will then replace the expensive and complicated bypass installations which are otherwise required to afford the necessary alarms. In some cases we may omit the retarded alarm and utilize the water escaping through the pipe 29 to operate a suitable alarm.

lVe claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing having a valve pivotally mounted therein, an oscillating case having an unrestricted chamber, terminals of an electric circuit in the chamber, means freely movable in the chamber to establish the circuit when the valve to hold the case in normal position when the valve is seated, resilient means for imparting motion to the case when the valve is unseated, a time delay relay in the circuit, and an alarm controlled by the relay.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing having a valve mounted therein on a suitable hinge-pin, an oscillating case on the hinge-p'a having an unrestricted chamber provided with a bypass, terminals of an electric circuit in the chamber, a mercury column in the chamber to open and close the circuit through the terminals when the case is oscillated on the pin, a time delay relay in the circuit, an alarm controlled by the relay, a roclcarm on the hinge-pin normally restraining the oscillation of the case, and a spring to oscillate the case when the rock arm is moved away from the case.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing having a valve pivotally mounted therem, a spring-actuated oscillating case having, an unrestricted chamber provided with a by-pass, terminals of an electric circuit in the chamber, a mercury column in the chamber to establish the circuit when the case is oscillated, means actuated by the valve to hold the case in normal position and place its spring under tension when the valve is seated, a time delay relay in the circuit, and an alarm controlled by the relay.

4. In a device of the class described, a casing having a valve mounted therein on a suitable hinge-pin, an oscillating case loosely carried on the hinge-pin and having an unrestricted chamber provided with a by pass, terminals of an electric circuit in the chamber, a mercury column in the chamber to establish the circuit through the terminals when the case is oscillated on the pin, a time delay relay in the circuit, an alarm controlled by the relay, a lug on the case, a rock-arm on the hinge-pin, an adjustable member between the lug and rock-arm normally restraining the oscillation of the case, a spring to oscillate the case when said member is moved away from the lug, and a stop to limit the oscillation of the case by the spring.

5. In a device of the class described, a valvecasing having an inner flange provided with a water-channel, a compound valveseat consisting of a pair of concentric rings, the inner ring engaging the flange and being provided at its outlet end with external screw threads above the water-channel, the outer ring being seated on the outlet side of the flange and having interrupted screw threads to engage the threadsof the inner ring and provide passages between the rings communicating with the channel, a pipe communicating with the channel, and a valve pivoted in the casing.

6. In a device of the class described, a

valve-casing having an inner flange pro vided with an annular channel and a groove, :1 compound valve-seat consisting of a pair of concentric rings, the inner ring being shouldered at its inlet end to engage the inlet side of the flange and being provided at its outlet enclwvith external screw threads above the channel, the outer ring 'being seated in the groove on the outlet side of the flange and having interrupted screw threads to engage the threads of the inner ring and 

